New to autumn and winter touring

124

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  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #92

    Hannah asked for top tips, one of mine would be put the winter covers on the fridge vents, I think 8C is the recommended limit, so below that use covers. Check your appliance manual. (Correct me if I'm wrong please!)

    I don't seek winter sun but I do seek "light." So we enjoy trips to places that are lit up and provide "light" relief. I can possibly blame my Danish Gt Grandfather for making the best of winter months at home! wink

    I've booked an early Christmas show this year and we'll be staying nearby in our van.

    New Year site stays are often enjoyable too, vans lit up and people chatting.

    We've enjoyed the Christmas lights in many places, Longleat springs to mind as a very good example. Warwick, York, Bath there's are lots of places that have Christmas markets and light displays.

    Here's a photo from Chatsworth, I've tried to find one that isn't too Christmassy! smile

     

     

  • cariadon
    cariadon Forum Participant Posts: 861
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    edited October 2019 #93

    My tip would be warm jumpers, sturdy boots for winter walks, a good book, and some DVD's for the darker nights. Isolated cover for the aquaroll to stop the water freezing, and to empty the waterhogg regularly, trying to empty a frozen one is no fun.

     

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #94

    I think you've done up the inside of your caravan really wellsmile

    A porch awning is useful for boots, shoes, and coats. And it chills well too.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #95

    can I mention fairy lights?

  • huskydog
    huskydog Club Member Posts: 5,460 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #96

    you have !!!!!!

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #97

    and a flag (with lights) is useful to find your way back in a blizzard?

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #98

    +1 on this, personally dont see any fun anymore in sitting in a caravan surrounded by wet dog, wet clothes, wet boots, etc, and dark by 1600 hrs, and have to pay £10 - £20 per day for the privilage,  have done it many times when we lived in Scotland, i dont care how cosy you can make your caravan, home is best for us if we cant make it abroad,

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #99

    Isn't that what the awnings are for (and a towel for the wet dog!) We've never been surrounded by wet anything in our 'van.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #100

    Only the 2 of us and no wet dogs. Wet clothes/boots hanging in the shower.  We never put up an awning in the winter.  The one thing the military teaches you ‘any mug can be uncomfortable’

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #101

    Yes you can! - all part of the fun at Christmas. smile

    Here's us at Chatsworth last Christmas complete with tree in the front window.

    And at the risk and being absolutely shot down, I have just bought a 5m pole and string of 'Dreamchaser' LEDs which I saw for the first time at Chatsworth last year and just had to have for our Christmas at Sandringham, this year.  I am sure HM will be impressedcool

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #102

    camped in Scotland where you would be just plain daft to put up an awning, did sometimes use a small porch, but not much use if it is full of snow. You must have a self drying dog, no amount of rubbing with a towel gets ours dry enought to sit on caravan seats. Yes we used the  shower for wet clothes but venturing out for a shower when -5 is not much fun 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited October 2019 #103
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  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #104

    "You must have a self drying dog, no amount of rubbing with a towel gets ours dry enough to sit on caravan seats."

    I don't think so! But her raincoat (she is a Princess) and a microfibre towel work wonderssmile

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #105

    I can tolerate all kinds of weather, (you have to living in Scotland) however now that we don't 'have' to go to work anymore why should we.

    The great thing about being retired is that you can do what you want, where you want, when you want, for as long as you want.

    Rain is the only weather I really don't like, yes we have the right clothing but if I don't have to go out in it  then I won't. 

    Caravanning in winter does need a bit more thought but it's perfectly do able.

    Going where its more pleasant is, well, more pleasant laughing

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2019 #106

    Hannah asked for top tips, one of mine would be put the winter covers on the fridge vents, I think 8C is the recommended limit, so below that use covers. Check your appliance manual. (Correct me if I'm wrong please!)

    I would not dream of correcting you Brue wink

    Never found a need for Winter covers on site. When we went away to minus 14c overnight and below freezing all day no fridge problems. Before we went away I put fridge on and no ice in freezer compartment until I heated the caravan to 60C and then all fine

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #107

    We did 20 years of independent winter touring but always left the caravan at home and started from Heathrow - destinations anywhere and everywhere between Mumbai and Auckland. Alas we are now too old or we would be off again like a shot.  We saw some amazing places.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2019 #108

    I like to see Christmas lights but hate rapidly flashing ones on caravans with drawn blinds that they can't see and everybody else gets the 'benefit'

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #109

    Agree ET - and rest assured, after the novelty has worn off, they will be switched off and just the twinkly ones left on!

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #110

    The great thing about being retired is that you can do what you want, where you want, when you want, for as long as you want.

    Unfortunately not true for every retired person TG.  Some have other commitments, family commitments, health issues, budget constraints etc..

    If we didn’t have other commitments I would certainly over winter elsewhere, not Spain, probably Greece or Southern Italy

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #111

    Ah but...your fridge might be working harder and with our covers on outside there is a distinct lack of breeze coming through other gaps.

    60C blimey, was your van on fire? laughing

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2019 #112

    OOOps 60f or 16C

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2019 #113

    We go away for 15 nights in December as, if we stayed at home we would probably hibernate!

  • Unknown
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    edited October 2019 #114
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  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #115

    Unfortunately not true for every retired person TG. Some have other commitments, family commitments, health issues, budget constraints etc

    Yes of course, we ourselves have some commitments but are lucky that we can still manage 3 or 4 trips away a year. Some longer than others. 

     

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #116

    And at the risk and being absolutely shot down, I have just bought a 5m pole and string of 'Dreamchaser' LEDs which I saw for the first time at Chatsworth last year and just had to have for our Christmas at Sandringham, this year. I am sure HM will be impressed.

    We saw a light pole recently at Malvern site, not sure if its what you refer to but it was huge, lights ran up and down the pole, not flashing but chasing each other. Quite impressive we thought, not a lover of flashing lights but thought that was different. 

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #117

    That's the one!smile

  • Unknown
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    edited October 2019 #118
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  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited October 2019 #119

    if the BBC has to read their 'flashing lights, epilepsy warning' alongside jut about every news item, why arent folk being affected continually by the flashing lights on site....perhaps the poles have disclaimers on them?

    about time H&S got to grips with this....undecided

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #120

    See my earlier post

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #121

    making a joke about this is rather insensitive BB, it is not a joking matter to those that suffer from epilepsy and having seen many seizures I can confirm thatundecided

    But to answer your question as I recall from my training of those people that suffer from epilepsy, which is 1% of the population, only 3% of those suffer from photosensitive epilepsy. This is where flashing lights can trigger a seizure. The flash rate has usually to be at usually at least 3Hz, that means three flashes per second. I have not come across any LED fairy type lights that flash like this.